Cold Avocado Soup

I find myself turning again and again to The Taste of Summer : Inspired Recipes for Casual Entertaining during the summer. Some of the recipes, of course, are quite good year-round, but the focus on warm weather foods and summer produce is quite nice. Tonight, I had a few gorgeous ripe Haas avocados around. I love putting some in a turkey sandwich for lunch or adding to my usual summer breakfast of toast and tomatoes by spreading half a very ripe avocado on my toast prior to placing the tomato slices on top. When I saw the recipe for Chilled Avocado Soup it intrigued me. I enjoy gazpacho once or twice, but admit to getting tired of it fairly quickly during the summer. Last year I tried a chilled cucumber soup that did nothing at all for me. But I'm an optimist. Cold soup in the summer  sounds too good to pass by.

This one surpassed my expecations--creamy and cool, full of flavor. I did take the trouble to make some fresh salsa to go with it and think that made all the difference. In this case, I added cucumbers to my normal salsa recipe, as suggested in the sidebar here.  That and a dollop of sour cream were added to the soup just before serving and it was delicious!

2 ripe avocados
3 cups chicken broth (homemade if possible)
2 Tbs lemon juice *
2 Tbs chopped chives (I used 1 Tbs dried; I'm sure fresh would be much better!)
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt to taste

Blend the avocados in a food processor and add add all the other ingredients and blend until smooth.  Chill a few hours before serving.

Serve with a spoonful of sour cream and a spoonful of salsa.